Paulina Rundel

Institution: University of Vienna, Department for International Law

Period of stay: 28 September 2026 - 11 December 2026

Contact: email: paulina.rundel@univie.ac.at; LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/paulina-rundel-728856214; website: https://www.paulinarundel.com/

Profile: 

Paulina Rundel is a PhD candidate in international law and University Assistant (prae doc) at the Department of European, International and Comparative Law at the University of Vienna, where she works with Professor August Reinisch. Her research focuses on international human rights law, climate change and the law of international organisations. Alongside her doctoral research, she teaches international law, international climate law and human rights law, contributes to academic publications and supports the organisation of academic activities as fellow representative of the Ars Iuris Doctoral School.

Paulina studied law at Humboldt University of Berlin and King’s College London and holds an LL.M. in International Law from the University of Vienna. Her academic background is complemented by practical experience within the United Nations system. For more than three years, she has supported Professor Reinisch in his role as Special Rapporteur of the UN International Law Commission. She previously worked at UNHCR and the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs at the United Nations in Vienna.

Research stays and academic activities at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Geneva and London have further shaped her work at the intersection of international legal research, human rights and multilateral cooperation.

Research Area:

Human Rights Law, Climate Law, General International Law, Law of International Organizations, Environmental Law, Children's Rights Law, Women's Rights

Research Title:

The International Human Rights System and Climate Litigation: A Children’s Rights Perspective

Research Outline:

Climate change increasingly gives rise to human rights claims before international, regional and domestic courts and monitoring bodies. My PhD research examines how international human rights law can respond to climate change, focusing on the protection of children as a group particularly vulnerable to its present and future impacts.

The research focuses on the European human rights system at both Council of Europe and European Union levels. It examines the European Convention on Human Rights and ECtHR jurisprudence, the European Social Charter and practice of the European Committee of Social Rights, as well as the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and relevant CJEU jurisprudence. These frameworks are comparatively assessed against developments within the UN human rights system.

A central focus is the role of vulnerability and intergenerational justice in protecting children in the climate crisis. Children are disproportionately affected due to their developmental stage and cumulative exposure to climate-related harm throughout their lifetimes. Their particular vulnerability also raises questions of access to justice, especially where climate harms are future-oriented, diffuse or transboundary.

The project analyses substantive human rights obligations alongside procedural barriers to climate litigation, particularly victim status and access to justice, and examines whether the criteria of vulnerability should inform their interpretation. Drawing on recent European and international climate jurisprudence, the research seeks to assess how human rights mechanisms can provide more effective, child-sensitive protection while remaining consistent with established legal principles and institutional mandates.

Publications:

Paulina Rundel, “Science meets International Law – Scientific Experts’ Role in the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change”, Austrian Review of International and European Law, Vol. 29 (2024), 2026, pp. 141–176. [peer-reviewed]

Paulina Rundel, “The ILC’s Work on Dispute Settlement Between International Organizations and Private Parties”, Nordic Journal of International Law, Vol. 95(1), 2026, pp. 400–421. [peer-reviewed]

Paulina Rundel, “Intergenerational Justice for Children and Future Generations in Human Rights-Based Climate Litigation”, in Stephanie Nitsch, Marielle Domig et al., Nachhaltigkeitsrecht im Konflikt, 3rd Conference Volume, Nomos, 2025, pp. 149–163.

Maximilian Bertamini and Paulina Rundel, “Einführung in das Weltraumrecht”, Bonner Rechtsjournal, Vol. 2(2), 2025, pp. 95–102.

August Reinisch and Paulina Rundel, “Eine völkerrechtliche Außenperspektive auf die extraterritoriale Geltung der EMRK im Zusammenhang mit den »Klimaklagen« vor dem EGMR”, Archiv des Völkerrechts, Vol. 62(3), 2025, pp. 286–300.

Paulina Rundel, “Klimakrise vor Gericht: (In-)Flexibilität des EGMR bei Klimaklagen”, Zeitschrift für Nachhaltigkeitsrecht, 2024, pp. 256–265. [peer-reviewed]

Paulina Rundel, “The Right to a Healthy Environment and the Potential Recognition in the European Human Rights System”, Journal for Human Rights / Zeitschrift für Menschenrechte, Vol. 18(1), 2024, pp. 39–65. [peer-reviewed]

Paulina Rundel, “Overlooked Instruments: The European Protection of Human Rights in the Climate Crisis”, in Philip Czech, Lisa Heschl, Karin Lukas, Manfred Nowak and Gerd Oberleitner (eds.), European Yearbook on Human Rights, Vol. 1, Brill, 2024, pp. 99–134. [peer-reviewed]

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